Knitting machine



Nov. 29, 1927. 1,651,316

G. BELL ET AL I KNITTING 1111111111111 Filed A ril 1 1927 Patented Nov. 29, 1927. v

UNITED 1,651,316 PATENT O 1 GEORGE BELL, or PRESTON, AND JOHN BOARDMAN, or. asirron, rnEsronnNGLANn.

. KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed Apri113, 1927,; Serial K0.:18 8,410, and in Great Britain March 5, 1926.

This invention'relates to knitting machines in which a selector is'provided for grouping, separating, or selecting the needles or their equivalents in predetermined for- I mations and repeating such grouping of the needles as the selector travels across the needle bed. According to this invention the selector comprises a slide adapted'tobe moved along the needle bed and carrying an arrangement of fixed and movable cams which operate in conjunction with a switch cam which is moved from one position to another by the needle butts to-cause certain of the needles 16 to occupy an upper position and; others a lower position in a. predetermined "order which is determined by the setting of the firstgroup of needles.

In order that the said invention may be 20 clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same is described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which:- Fig. 1 is a plan of a selector constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig.2 is an end elevation of the selector looking in'the directionofthe arrow shown in- Fig. 1. v I

Fig. 3 is a front view of the bottom edge of the selector.

Fig. 4; is an inverted plan of the selector showing the cams.

. Fig. 5 is a View of the selector lookingin the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. at, and

,Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 4-.sliowing a modified construction ofswitch cam.

A indicates a slide, B, C, the two stationary cams, D, E, two movable cams, and F the switch cam. Y

The slide A is formed or provided with a key portion 0. adapted to travel along an existing guide slot which extends the whole length of the needle bed. The slide A may be attached to the existing cam box or it may be formed as one unit in a piece therewith. The cam B is formed with an inclined surface 6 and a recessed portion 25 along which the buttsof the needles which have been pushed up travel. The cam C is formed with two inclined surfaces 0, 0 The cams D and E are formed with inclined surfaces cl, d and 6, 6 These cams are mounted on spindles d e which are free. 5 to swivel in bearings 1n the slide against the action of springs (1 e which normally maintain the cams in the position shown in Fig. 4. The switch cam F is mounted on a spindle f which is free to turn in a bear-.

ing in the slide and is maintained in 'one or other of its two positions by a. spring pressed finger 7 having a V shaped end 7 that bears against a rod-f which projects through an aperture in the slide. When the selector is travelling in one direction the needle butts are guided by the-inclined surfaces 6,61, through the channel and along one edge or the other, say for example, the upper edge, of the switch cam F until a shoulder f on such cam comes in contact with the first butt which then turns the switch cam to the position indicated by the were formerly trapped by the shoulder 7 pass out through the space that is formed at H, and cause their needles to'occupy an upper position in the needle bed. lVith the switch lever F in the, altered position the needle butts that are now guided through the passage G are deflected down theunder edge of the switch cam F- until a shoulder f thereon strikes the foremost butt position indicated by the full lines and leaves a passage through which the needle butts can pass and cause their needles to oc dotted lines, in which position the butts that which then restores the 'switchlever to the cupy a lower position in the needle bed,

these operations being repeated until the slide comes to rest at the end of the needle,

bed. As each batch of needles is separated by the selectorcams they are acted upon by the cams in the cam box which follow immediately after to actuate the needles to perform the knitting operation. When this has taken place all the needle butts are left in line along the needle bed at a level in which they will be engagedby the inclined surface e of the cam E on the return movement of the slide with the result that the cam will be turned against the action of the spring 6 to allow the butts to pass to the inclined surface d of the cam D, which will then be tilted in like manner and allow the butts to pass through the passage G. The portion f of the switch lever F may be made of sufiicient length to accommodate any predetermined numbcr of butts and supposing for example that it is made a correct length for actuating nine needles, then if the first nine needles be arranged in such a manner that some are on top edge of the tongue and some on the lower, when the selector moves desired, for example two up, six down, one

up. The tongue f is moved into the )osi tion ot the tip h pointing upward. \i hcn the selector moves over the needles these which are pushed up will pass over the higher edge 23 ot the cam l3 and by way of a the recessed portion 6 on to the top edge of the tongue f 'lhose needles which are left down will pass through the passage G to the lower edge oi? the tongue f which then continues to arrange needles in similar order across the whole width of the 1na chine with the exception that each batch of needles will be arranged alternately, that is to say, it the .tirst batch contains two up six down and one up the next hatch will contain two down, A n up, and one down and the next hatch tno up, six down and one up and so on. If it is desired to keep the first selection in exactly the same order across the whole width of the machine the switch cam is made in two parts F F as seen in Fig. (i, which are respectively pivoted at f f and intergearcd at by one or more teeth and of any desired ratio so that one part in motion actuatcs the other part and ant0- matically reverses the order 01 the needles arranged by the plain one piece tongue above described, thus the order oi needles thrown up in this case is the same in every group and not rrn'ersed as is the case when a one piece switch earn is employed. A stationary cam E is also substituted for the pivoted cam E. In this modification sup posing the needles are to occupy a position one up and eight down in each sncccssive group, the tongue is in its upper position with the upper needle on its top side. hen this needle passes between a shoulder f on the part F and a cam surface 0 on the cam C, it reverses the position of the parts F F and holds them in that position whilst the attacluncnt moves over the needle bed for the space of one needle with the result that the part F will deilect the next needle on to its top side and immediately the previous upper needle passes between the shoulder f and earn surface c' a spring will return the parts F F to their normal position with the result that the next eight needles will pass underneath the parts F Ft On the return passage of the attachment the needles pass between the shoulder f on the part F and the statiorunry cam E This arrangement will automatically. give any selection with the exception o'l a full selection that is to say nine needles up and nine needles down and this can be automatically obtained by the single piece switch lever F. In applying the selector or selectors to a circular knitting machine it may he built in or form an attachment thereto and only one setting of the needles would be required for any one pattern. For knitting :tabrics with stripe or check patterns no setting of the needles is required. the selector being fully automatic.

\Vhat we claim as ourinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent inthe United States is l. A selector for knitting machine needles comprising a switch cam mounted for movement to reverse positions for moving the needles to either of two positions, and means operable by the needles in both of said positions of the needles to move the switch cam to the reverse positions.

2. A selector for knitting machine needles comprising a switch cam pivotally mounted to swing to reverse positions tor moving the needles to either of two positions, and means operable by contact with the needles in-both of said positions thereof" for swinging the switch cam from either position to the other position. i

In witness whercol we have signed this specification.

o-nono-n nnnn JOHN noiinnMAn 

